Member for

15 years 8 months
Points
216.00

Recent Comments

Date Title Body
"Dropping the ball/being…

"Dropping the ball/being slow on Pearson was not so great and maybe we should have moved on from Juwan after the second 'incident'."

Not so great is one way to describe it, I suppose. 

Adding more: If you don't…

Adding more: If you don't have a clear basis to file this under the MCR, and a plan to get the motion on file and in front of Connors in advance of... the hearing on Friday (which could more or less end the litigation depending on how it goes), this feels like an enormous waste of time.  

Is this something you're…

Is this something you're intending to file in circuit court?  On what basis?  I've never heard/seen a motion for leave to file an amicus filed in a Michigan circuit court, and I'm not familiar with a basis to do so under the MCR. 

Totally agreed re WTRB and…

Totally agreed re WTRB and Double Oaked.  Would add McKenna 10.  Pops up 10-12 times a year.  Not always around but easy enough to find to make a regular pour. 

Same question.  Is this give…

Same question.  Is this give/take the current approach on the team?  Hadn't heard that. 

Cosign re Bowdies.  My wife…

Cosign re Bowdies.  My wife and I go to the Saugatuck location a few times a year, and it's amazingly good.  One of the best steaks I've had anywhere.  

Under the radar place: Single Barrel Social in Brighton is quietly serving some excellent ribeyes.  We've been eating there quite a bit because they offer outdoor igloo dining, and their steaks and chops are really really good.  Better than anything in Ann Arbor.  

Ann Arbor's Chop House is an embarrassment, and it pains me to say it.  I've had one or two 50-60 dollar steaks there that were below the Outback Steakhouse Mendoza Line: no crust, under/overcooked, etc.  We haven't been back in years.  

what position does he play?

what position does he play?

 

Edge or Interioir?

EH Taylor Single Barrel is

EH Taylor Single Barrel is one of my all time favorites. Bravo.

Beer Grotto

Not the most number of taps, but the best quality taps in town, with a super knowledgeable staff.  Easier to get into that Bill's most nights and--best part--you can bring in your own food, which in my case is usually Blimpy across the street or the sausage cart dude that hangs out just over the fenceline. Cannot be beaten.

Counteroffers

If I'm on a hiring committee, and we provide a nonnegotiable offer, coming back with a huge counteroffer might be enough to cause me to reconsider whether the candidate is the right fit for the position.  It would obviously depend on the job, the offer, and the candidate. 

It sounds like the counteroffer was made in good faith--i.e., you had compelling reasons to feel like you were worth more, and have a good enough job that you're not going to settle for less than market.  You made your play; it failed.  No big deal. 

I believe that this was the

I believe that this was the peppercorn burger, no?  If so, you can still get it at Cubs AC, which--if I'm not mistaken--used to be owned by the old owners at Good Time Charley's and still makes a few items from the old Charley's menu. 

Click on something else

This isn't below the belt.  Tom Izzo is an adult, not a player, and 100% responsible for what he does during games and during pressers. I don't blame any of our fans for ridiculing him every single time fhe acts total lunatic, which is--by the year--occuring with more frequency and more awesomeness.  He's coming unhinged.  It's awesome.  Relax. 

I get the point

But what are you suggesting?  That Brandon price the seats lower than people are willing to pay ?  Look, when prices were lower, the "wine and cheese" folks still filled the stadium, because they were the ones willing to buy my student tickets for $200 a pop.  Brandon isn't setting the prices--the market is. 

I agree that corporate culture, coaching salaries, and other issues are gravely impacting the college fan experience.  I hate that shit to death.  But Brandon isn't responsible for that system; he's just living in it.  Hating him for it, calling him names, or expecting him to do anything differently strikes me as misguided, mean, and naive, respectively. 

Disagree

Charging fans six bucks for a water and 100 bucks for their Appalachian State tickets next year helps hire million-dollar coaches and make hundred-million dollar renovations to Crisler, which are are the most important drivers of program health (at least right now) and likely outweigh the risk of alienating the fans who want to pay for Michigan football at below-market rates like they did in 1980.

I certainly understand that desire--I'd like everything I buy to be cheaper, and I'd probably have season tickets if they were cheaper. But cloaking what is at its core a "dammit I want this product to be cheaper" argument in the "Dave Brandon killed my childhood" gloss seems pretty disingenuous. Cheap seats are not "the fabric of Michigan football"; cheap seats are what Don Canham did to fill the stadium before we started kicking the ever loving shit out of the Big Ten--a ritual that is, in fact, the actual fabric of Michigan football. And if there's a criticism of Dave Brandon, it's that we're not currently kicking the ever loving shit out of the Big Ten. If we were, I'm 100% positive that this guy wouldn't be writing blog posts about how Dave Brandon "doesn't get it."

Pizza is good.

Mani is objectively delicious.  So is Cottage Inn.  So is Jets.  So is [Insert Other Pizza Place Not Named Hungry Howies].  Pizza is almost always good.  People need to relax about lists, which are dumb, unlike pizza.   

If I recall, Navarre reported

If I recall, Navarre reported getting lots of nasty mail/email when he was a student.  We've always had this sort of nastiness in the fan base. 

It's about time someone wrote this.

Logical.  Empirical.  Efficiently written.  Devastating to Gladwell's position.  About time. 

Renting in West Side/Campus is difficult

Some high level advice from someone who has rented as a student and as an adult, and now owns a house in the Water Hill neighborhood (just north of the Old West Side):

1) Anything walkable (10 minutes or less) to Central Campus is either going to be old/small/expensive or new/super expensive.  Almost everything is homes that have been chopped up into small units. 

2) The rental options in the Plymouth corridor and the Eisenhower corridor are newer, more reasonably priced, and are marketed to the adultish/grad student/young family demographics.  Most are on the UM bus lines and are within biking distance.  But none of these units are walkable to Central Campus.  I lived in Windemere Park for a bit, and it was pretty nice.  Because many are run by big national leasing offices, you'll probably find it easier to get set up from a distance. 

My recommendation: Look outside of campus and deal with the bus/commute/bike.  You'll get a better deal.  You'll also get more online reviews and other things that will help you decide, whereas the smaller landlords that own the CC housing are hard to get a good read on. 

Most MGoBoard response possible

I love the content on this blog.  I love the passionate fan comments on this blog.  I love the insightful diaries and posts on this blog.

The constant stream of purposeless peanut-gallery snark on this board is exhausting. 

College IS a stepping stone. For everyone.

If it seems like college is a stepping stone, that's because it is.  For students and for student-athletes alike.  If someone offered riches and respect and a career to 20 year old me, I would left college at a speed that would have bent the laws of physics.  If Clowney decides next year that his training is complete, he should leave.  None of us fans should allow ourselves to get terribly emotional about this. 

The argument that players no longer play for "love" of the game assumes that there was ever a period of time in recent history during which elite college players played for love of the game.  The few conversations that I've had with former players suggest that is that this is nothing more than another crappy sports fan/sports media trope--part of the myth of sports culture.   Elite college players and pro players (in football, at least) generally don't "love" the game.  At best, they view the game as a career--i.e., a potential and/or actual source of income, respect, and life enrichment.  At worst, they deeply resent the game that provides income at the cost of their mental and physical well being. 

Holy crap

This board is a tire fire this morning.  Someone make it stop. 

Gajic

My brother and I have turned "Gajicccccc!" into an all-purpose word for: (i) something that is so easy it is hard; (ii) an athlete that can't seem to make the easy ones; or (iii) something that is very frustrating. 

Human Foot

You wouldn't care if Pryor sold his gold pants to buy a human foot on Ebay? 

My Fredo comparison was a joke.

That's a nice strawman you've constructed there, Stephen.  Dissent is fine.  Public dialogue is fine.  I don't have a problem with a famous alum criticizing the university, particularly if the goal of the criticism is improving the university.

This isn't about orthodoxy.  This is about intent.  More specifically, it is about Harbaugh's intent, which was, in no particular order, to prop up Stanford's reputation, make his job look harder, and make himself look better--all at Michigan's expense.  This is about publicly putting your self-interest over the interests of the university, which is precisely what Harbaugh did.  Go back and read his comments again.   The objective is manifest.  He's a snake. 

Feel free to define your membership in the institution however you like.  If you think that it is appropriate for a famous alum to trash the university in print solely for personal gain, ok.  If you think that it is not at all disingenuous for that same alum to later publicly suggest an allegiance or a loyalty to that same institution, fine. 

I don't define my membership the same way.  Loyalty matters.  Integrity matters. 

Not this again.

Harbaugh said what he said for the sole purpose of making Stanford and himself look better by comparison.   It doesn't matter whether what he said was true or not.  Being a fan, being an alum, being a member of a club requires a certain measure of loyalty that Jim Harbaugh fundamentally lacks.  He's a shameless self-promoter that threw the institution under the bus in the national media so that he could make a buck, then bolted to the NFL when Michigan needed him most.   He's Fredo, and it burns me to hear that he's still pretending like he's part of the family.  Go Blue?  Go count your NFL money and get bent Jim. 

Counterpoint.

Disclosure: I'm an associate at a top Michigan firm.  Went to a lower tier top-25 school not unlike some of the schools that have you waitlisted.  Have 120K in loans. 

I did exactly what several of the posters above are suggesting that you do: Went to the highest ranked law school to maximize job prospects.   It worked out for me, but that was in 2008.  If I had graduated in 2009 with the same grades and education, I'd be screwed--massive debt and no means to pay it off. 

With the market the way it is, and your job prospects a little dodgy, you'd be totally insane to make the decision I made.  Take the money and go to Wayne or MSU.  You going to have to work harder to earn the respect of your peers and get good job opportunities, but you'll have the financial flexibility to either: (i) make law a career that you enjoy; or (ii) quit and go back to your current profession.  In short: If you go to Wayne, your worst case scenario is being an overeducated CNC machinist.  If you go to Wisconsin, your worst case scenario is being an unemployed lawyer who has defaulted on his student loans.   

Note: My advice would be somewhat different if you were talking about Michigan/Northwestern/Chicago v. Wayne/MSU.  I think there is a large enough gap between  the job prospects and reputations of these schools to justify rolling the dice and taking on the debt.  At my firm, top 15 will get you in the door even if your grades are only decent.  Top 50 really doesn't unless you don't also have stellar grades, which is basically the same for Wayne and MSU grads.

Meechigan Dan

Long time listener/admirer; first (second-ish) time poster.

Look past the (kitten) jokes and snark on the banner (which have always, in one form or another, been a part of this blog) and you'll find legitimate, adult, good-faith arguments staring you in face on the front page regarding Brady Hoke, etc. 

Fans (yes, even the non-athletic types) are allowed to be something short of ebullient over this hire, at least for the moment.  If the mere exposure to a contrary point of view is stealing your joy, fine, but understand that the moron/child here isn't Brian.  It's you: the guy throwing ad hominem on his way out the door. 

Brady Hoke may turn out to be ten times the man of any author on this site, but I'll bet Brady Hoke knows how to take a (kitten) joke without having a fit.  The only person throwing an interent tantrum here is you.  Grow up.

Dear Dreisbach1817

I'm not so preoccupied with losing that I'm indifferent about a head coach all but confessing to ordering a dirty hit on one of our players.  The last three years appears to have deadened your sense of moral outrage.  Mine, however, remains fully operational and intact.  Apologies.

Poor analysis

His "analysis" of the defense was often little more than, "I don't see too many NFL-caliber players out there"--i.e., hur hur Michiganz defense sux hur hur.  While obviously true, I didn't need to hear that (or something like it) a dozen times in the second half, and certainly not when we had the football. 

Infinity.

Infinity.

Hit the Pumpkin

Not sure if they have an IPA at Jolly Pumpkin, but the beer there--mostly (strong) belgian-style beer--is really awesome.  Think high-end pub fare--good burger (if ordered medium, medium-rare) with a thick slice of gooey cheese, excellent brick oven pizzas.  I believe both the brewer and the chef are Grizzly Peak alums.

And, BTW, there's this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/reviews/24wine.html

The Jug Sucks?

"The Jug sucks. It has the worst service of all the bars on campus. I only go to the jug if there are no other options. Ashley's and Charlies blow it out of the water."

The fact that you're even comparing the Jug to Ashley's (or, for that matter, commenting on the "service" at the Jug, as if good service is something that a reasonable patron expects and demands when at a place like the Jug) conclusively demonstrates that you do not understand the Jug, its mission, or the market that it serves.  Ashley's is two properly chilled and poured measures of La Fin Du Monde in a snifter; the Jug is three lukewarm pitchers of Coors Light, throwing up in a booth, and getting a stern warning not to do it again. One isn't "better" than the other; comparing the two is a misguided and completely useless endeavor. 

Or to quote The Situation,

Or to quote The Situation, "Damn, the kid’s sleeping right now. That’s what you get for talking sh*t."

Boom. Headshot.

Boom. Headshot.

Compare and contrast

Freep: "Football suspensions dip into Michigan State's depth"

SI: "Michigan State suspends eight after dorm fight."

Classic NES machines with

Classic NES machines with duck hunt. Total cost: About 20 bucks. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Super Tecmo III pass plays

Super Tecmo III pass plays for Ryan Mallett:

Up A: Bomb

Down A: Overthrown slant

Left A: Sack on three-man rush

Right A: Bomb

I hope you have a crappy

I hope you have a crappy holiday, tomhagan.

Harbaugh attacked the program

Harbaugh attacked the program and the coaching staff in the papers. He did it needlessly and selfishly--i.e., not to make Michigan better for student-athletes, but to make himself and Stanford look better by comparison. Bo would have shanked Harbaugh in his sleep.

Yes

Beat Iowa and DSU, and you go into the heart of the schedule 6-1. Purdue is winnable. You're 7-1. Then you only need one from Illinois, Wisconsin, PSU, and OSU to end up 8-4, which I think is the magic number we need this year to put out the fire and build some recruiting momentum.

Lose to Iowa, and you need to win two of those games. That is doable, but significantly more difficult.

Call the bluff

They're bluffing. Talk to student legal services.

Just graduated from Emory

Taco Mac in Decatur is the best bet. Better food, better environment. Famous is ok, but the wait staff is spotty and I had trouble some nights getting them to turn on the Michigan game.

I think some of these

I think some of these comments are ridiculous. In a little over three weeks, we've seen offense go from nothing to putting up nearly 400 yards of offense... in a freaking rainstorm.

Four wins? Really? You think we don't beat Toledo, NW, Minnesota? That we don't have a good shot at Illinois (who almost lost to freaking ULL today) or Purdue?

This team is getting better every week. Relax. Enjoy the ride.

Cool, but it's missing Cool, but it's missing something--I wouldn't have immediately made the MGoCommunism connection. Maybe "Go Blue" underneath in soviet era Russian characters?
Sharp's article is, as usual, Sharp's article is, as usual, ridiculous, hyperbolic nonsense. I get irritated/pissed anytime I hear grown ass adults (a charitable description of Drew Sharp, no doubt) talk about "setting a tone"--i.e., destroying the career of an otherwise well-behaved college athlete. What Grady did was stupid, dangerous and illegal. If Sharp thinks RichRod should discipline him for that, fine. He should be punished. But I can't condone the notion, encouraged by Sharp and others, that Michigan benefits by using Grady's punishment as means to instill discipline on the team. Discipline is important. Consequences are important. But so is fairness: Not having your scholarship/future as a football player ripped out from under you for a first offense. People do dumb shit when they're in college. Most are good people; almost all deserve, at a minimum, a second chance. But the worst part of Sharp's article is the suggestion that RichRod can't afford to be lenient on Grady because, unlike Carr, Rodriguez has an established history of condoning bad behavior. This is, in addition to being demonstrably false (Henry and Jones were both surprisingly well behaved while at WVU), an utterly disgusting idea--that Grady should be subject to more severe punishment because of the (inaccurate) public perception of his tenure at WVU.
Word. Word.